1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic metallic powder and a magnetic recording medium comprising the magnetic metallic powder as a magnetic recording element. More particularly, the present invention relates to comprising a magnetic metallic powder a magnetic recording medium having improved durability as well as magnetic recording characteristics and electromagnetic conversion characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
A magnetic recording medium is generally produced by coating a magnetic paint comprising a magnetic powder, a binder, an organic solvent and other necessary component(s) on a substrate, such as a polyester film, and drying the paint. When the magnetic recording medium is required to have high performances, a magnetic metallic powder, such as metal iron powder, is used as the magnetic recording element.
However, the magnetic metallic powder, such as the metal iron powder, has a larger magnetic moment and a less smooth surface and in turn a larger specific surface area measured by the BET method than a magnetic metal oxide powder. In addition the former is chemically more active than the latter. Finally, the magnetic metallic powder is insufficiently dispersed in a binder resin, so that the magnetic recording medium comprising the magnetic metallic powder as the magnetic recording element has unsatisfactory magnetic characteristics or electromagnetic conversion characteristics.